Parlor-tennis racket.



i No, 70,504.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL n. PARLOR T EEEEEEEEEEEE T.

1 mmmwww UNITED STATES HENRY W. LONGFELLOVV, JR.,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF BOSTON, MASSA OHUSETTS.

PARLOR-TENNIS RACKET.

SEEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 717,504, datedDecember` 30, 1902.

Application filed October 13,1902. Serial No.l27,002. (No model.) I

fo all whom, t may concern.-

Beit known that LHENRY W. LoNGFELLow, Jr., a citizen of theUnitedStates, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of'Massachusetts have invented an Improvement in Parlor-Tennis Rackets, ofwhich the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representinglike parts.

My invention is a game racket or bat particularly intended for the nowpopular game of indoor or parlor tennis. This game has called forth agreat many different kinds of raokets, most of them having simplystraight handles, although a few have had curved or club-shaped handles,in both cases the handles having such shape and surface as to Weary thevhand and beliable to twist or give an uncertain blow to the ball unlessvery firmly grasped. s

It is the purpose of the present invention to obviate thesedisadvantages and produce a handle which will provide ease and relief tothe hand, aord a hrm and certain grasp, and tend to give addedassuranceto the player.

With these objects in View I have provided a handle which is short,chunked, or bulbshaped and provided with a slightly-roughened portionAto rest in the palm of the hand and a considerably-roughened portion tobe engaged between` the fingers at the narrow part or neck portion ofthe handle, my invention also including various other constructionaldetails, which will be more fully set forth in the following descriptionand further defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure l represents in front elevation my improvedracket. Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional view thereof on the line2, Fig. l; and Fig. 3 shows in side elevation the foundation portion ofthe handle. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail in elevation of a fragmentaryportion of the racket, showing the corrugated striking-surface.

As herein shown, I have provided a flat oval striking part a, comprisinga foundation portion of wood or other suitable material a', covered onits opposite faces with a suitable engaging substance, that preferredbeing a corrugated surface d2 on one side and a smooth cork surface a3on the opposite side,

these surfaces enabling the operator to give different degrees ofrtwistor cut to the ball when struck.

Secured to the handle end of the part o, is a foundation-piece b,preferably of wood, having a shape somewhat like an Indian club, thelower part b thereof having a chunked thick shape to rest in the palm ofthe hand and the upper part h2 thereof comprising a small or slenderneck portion terminating in flattened ears b3, which slope offgracefully on the opposite sides of the portion a. for neatness andstrength, as well as enabling the parts to be secured properly together.On this handle foundation b I secure in any suitable manner a covering cof roughened material, this covering preferably consisting oftransversely corrugated rubber, which is tightly stretched over the partb of the handle,it being convenient to use a seamless andperipherally-corrugated tube of rubber when stretched on the part b itcannot 'slip and will cling to the hand of the user. The lower end ofthis roughened covering c eX- tends partially about the lower end of thehandle, as indicated at c', Fig. 2, and is neatly and firmly secured bya cap dof metal or hard substance. This cap construction is not onlyvery neat, but 'is of particular advantage and service in this article,because of the jerky twisting movement that is frequently exerted by theoperator, which tends to disturb the covering of the handle; but whenheld by this cap d the ends of the covering cannot escape, as they aretightly bound by the entire cap, and particularly so at the edgesthereof. The neck portion is provided with a surface e, groovedperipherally or extremely roughened as compared with the more smoothsurface c. This affords a sure grip for the lingers and gives confidenceto the player. It may be formed in Various ways but I prefer to make itof layers of slightlyyielding material, such as leather, and this may beconveniently applied by winding the neck part b2 and properly securingtheends of the strip. I prefer that this wound portion of the handleshould extend from the base of the bulge or chunked part b' of thehandle to the upper end of the handle next the part a, as in playingthis game many playslightly smaller than the handle itself, so that IOOers do not grasp the handle with the entire palm, but simply hold itbetween the fingers somewhat as a pen is held in writing, and this roughsurface e, extending overv the entire neck portion of the handle, asdescribed, makes this manner of holding the racket practical and easy.

Besides the mechanical advantages above explained and others which willoccur to those practiced in the art my invention affords greatopportunity for ornamental effects in the Way of applying differentcolors, materials, and forms to the various portions, the Whole beingenhanced by the graceful contours and effects of the parts.

Without limiting myself to the specific details herein set forth,inasmuch as various changes, as already enumerated, may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit and scope of myinvention, whatlclaim,and desire to secure by Letters Pat-ent, is-

1. A game-racket comprising a striking part provided at one end with ahandle chunked or bulb-shaped at its lower end, said lower end having aslightly-roughened surface, and the upper end of the handle having acoarser roughened surface, the former for engaging the palm of the handandthe latter to be grasped by the fingers.

2. A game-racket comprising a striking part provided at one end with ahandle chunked or bulb-shaped at its lower end, said bulb-shaped portionhaving a covering of slightly-roughened material capable of clingingfrictionally to the palm of the hand, said material extending partiallyover the extreme end of the handle, and a binding-cap of unyieldingmaterial clamping said lower end of the covering tightly against thehandle.

3. A game-racket comprising a striking part provided at one end with ahandle chunked or bulb-shaped at its lower end, said bulb-shaped portionhaving a covering of slightly-roughened material capable of clingingfrictionally to the palm of the hand, and the upper part of the handlebeing provided with peripherally-overlapped bands or layers of narrowmaterial aording rough corrugations to be grasped bythe ngers of theuser.

4L. A game-racket comprising a striking part provided at one end with ahandle chunked or bulb-shaped at its lower end, and a slender neckportion at its upper end, said lower end being provided with a tautrubber covering, and said upper end being spirally wound with a narrowstrip providing coarse corrugations.

5. A game-racket comprising a dat striking part having a smooth yieldingsurface such as cork on one side, and a highly fric- 'tional yieldingsurface such as rubber on the

